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Colinton Mains

Origin of Name: Named from the farm Colinton Mains which once stood at Oxgangs Road/Firrhill Loan.

Position: Craiglockhart to the north, Oxgangs to the east and south and Colinton to the west

Historical Notes: It is recorded as Newmains of Colingtoune back in 1654 when part of Colinton estate was separated. The large farm was established by Sir James Foulis and was sold to Alexander Cleghorn in 1719. In 1847 the lands were purchased by the Rattray family who, in 1881, sold the farm and much of the land to the north to Edinburgh Corporation to build the city's first fever hospital. In 1937 Colinton Mains Drive was extended down to part of Oxgangs farm known as the Haugh of Oxgangs and Colinton Mains Crescent, Grove, Road, Place and Terrace were built. Colinton Mains Green and Loan were built in Short Bog Park, another part of the old Oxgangs farm. Colinton Mains Gardens was built on the farmland of Colinton Mains farm in 1954 and so were Firrhill Crescent, Loan and Drive also built in the 1950s. Until the house building programme there were only the farms and a small group of cottages called Starks Cottages which were built in the 1920s and still stand today, opposite Colinton Mains Terrace.

Today: An area very closely tied with neighbouring Oxgangs and collectively come under the same community council called Firrhill ( Oxgangs Primary School and Oxgangs Terrace are both in Colinton Mains). Colinton Mains and the Firrhill area both consisted of council housing but in recent years most has been sold to the tenants. There are some local shops and a big superstore. Firrhill High School takes in pupils from a large area and there's a medical centre, tennis courts and Colinton Mains Park.

Did you know: The name Firrhill comes from Firrhill House which was built in 1868. It was turned into a home for the elderly after WWII and in 1986 it was opened as a day centre for people with physical disabilities. It is believed that the name comes from firr trees on nearby Craiglockhart hill but has somehow obtained an extra r.

In 1932 during planning of Colinton Mains, it was estimated that it would cost £7500 to build a sewage pipe. Including the roads it would cost £48000. They noted the demand at that time was for houses costing £600 and presumed that some of the land would be kept for private housing.

Sir James Foulis was an ardent royalist but in 1650 much of his property including Colinton Mains was destroyed by Cromwell's troops. In 1745 Colinton Mains was again ravaged, this time when Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops passed through the area.